Border Wildlife Tracking Blitz

3127 N Cherry Ave,Tucson AZ 85719

20 May, 2022

Description

Calling Sky Island Alliance wildlife trackers, past and present! Join us for a day, or a weekend, of tracking wildlife along the border. Join us to look for wildlife tracks and sign! There are only a few spots along the U.S./Mexico border that are still open to wildlife migration and movement between the two countries. The stretch from the Patagonia Mountains to the Huachuca Mountains, across the San Rafael Valley, is one of them. For the past few Years SIA has been conducting our Border Wildlife Study along this section of the border. Now we want to document the tracks and sign of wildlife actually crossing the border and for this we need the help of our trained wildlife trackers! Trained trackers; this is for you! It's been a while since we have gotten together to apply our tracking skills. This upcoming event will be a great chance to practice these skills, and put them to use for our current conservation projects! If you've been through one of our Wildlife Tracking Workshops, no matter how long ago, we would love to see you and get you involved in our work again! The Work: We'll be using the iNaturalist app to document animal tracks and sign along the border road and nearby washes along the southern foothils of the Patagonia Mountains, across the San Rafael Valley, and into the southern foothills of the Huachuca Mountains. Please have iNatualist downloaded onto your phone and make sure you have joined the Sky Island Wildlife Tracking Program project before you come out. Please contact Bryon Lichtenhan (contact info below) if you have any questions about how to do this. What to Expect: You can choose to join us just for the day Saturday and/or Sunday, or camp out with us for the weekend. We will be staying at a dry campsite: bring your own potable water. SIA will bring additional water for use in camp. Campers will need to bring their own meals for the weekend - a minimum of 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners, with snacks.Be prepared to unplug - we will likely be out of cellular service for much of the trip.Bring your own camping gear, unless you have made arrangements to borrow gear from us. Please contact Bryon Lichtenhan, listed below, if you would like to use some of our equipment.Wear clothing appropriate for spending the day outdoors and exposed to the sun.If you are driving yourself, a high clearance vehicle is recommended, though not necessary to reach the meeting spot. Carpooling in high-clearance and 4WD vehicles will be encouraged to reach our border locations.Getting There: Option 1: Meet at the SIA office at 3127 N Cherry Ave to carpool or caravan to our campsite at 2:45 pm on Friday. We will head south on I-19 toward Nogalas before heading off toward the east from the Ruby Rd exit. Option 2:  If you would like to meet us out there, just let us know when to expect you. Our camp and daily meeting spot will be at the following coordinates off of Duquesne Rd: 31.371841, -110.759211. If you put these coordinates into Google, you should be able to find us. Trip Logistics: Friday 2:45 PM: Meet with SIA staff at our office to carpool to the campsite. Friday 5:00 PM: If you would like to meet SIA at the campsite, you may arrive after 5:00 PM on Friday. Follow our green SIA arrow sign for the correct turnoff. Saturday 7 AM: Everyone should be on-site and prepared to go over the day's work and head out. We will work throughout the day with a break for lunch. Sunday 7 AM: Everyone should be on-site and prepared to get started on a few more hours of work. We will finish around lunchtime, pack up, and then head back to Tucson. Sunday 6:00 PM: We will be back to our Tucson office by 6:00 PM Sunday. What to bring: Smartphone or tablet for documenting tracks and signTracking ruler Field guides/tracking cardsMask for when physical distancing is impracticalDaypackWaterSnacksSun Protection: appropriate clothing, hat, and/or sunscreenWhatever else you need for a (warm) morning in the desert...Unfortunately, pets are not allowed on this trip. If you have any further questions, please contact Bryon Lichtenhan at [email protected], or by phone at 520-307-6728.